Kentucky chef Sara Bradley on Food Network 'Tournament of Champions'

See La Pâtisserie Française in Louisville sweet treats

La Pâtisserie Française in the Highlands serves homemade sweets daily. Here’s a taste of what to expect if you visit.

A popular Kentucky restaurateur, who also happens to be a highly regarded veteran of the televised cooking competitions, is back in the hot seat on the new season of Guy Fieri’s “Tournament of Champions VII” airing on the Food Network.

Chef Sara Bradley, known for her “new South” cuisine at Paducah’s Freight House restaurant, made history in Season 6 (2025) as the first “rookie” to reach the finale of the “Tournament of Champions,” finishing as runner-up. On March 15, she’s back on the $150,000 cooking competition and ready to win.

Bradley, a 2026 James Beard Award finalist, is also a highly competitive veteran of the television cooking wars. Her television career began in 2019 on Bravo’s “Top Chef Kentucky,” where she finished second. In 2023, she returned to “Top Chef World All-Stars” and was once again runner-up. Along with Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions: Season 6,” she was a winner of “Chopped” and the first-ever “Chopped Legend.”

Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions VII” which debuted on March 1, welcomed 32 world-class chefs going head-to-head in kitchen combat. The competition begins together returning contenders, past finalists and new challengers.

Thanks to her stellar TV record, Bradley is a No. 2 seed in the show’s March Madness-style tournament bracket. She did not compete during the first episode but fans should be ready for the competition to heat up on Sunday, March 15 when Bradley faces off against Milwaukee, Wisconsin Chef Dan Jacobs, co-owner of DanDan and EsterEve restaurants. Both contestants are “Top Chef” finalists.

The competition features a randomizer that determines ingredients, equipment and style for each round. Chefs have limited time to review the results before cooking begins.

If Bradley wins the round, she’ll advance to the “Sweet 16” and moves forward, hopefully to the $150,000 Championship round on Sunday, April 19. Guy Fieri’s “Tournament of Champions VII” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Food Network and streams the following day on HBO MAX and discovery +.

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.